The Museum for the United Nations — UN Live

The UN takes on the world’s most difficult challenges. Peace building, humanitarian emergencies, and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals together comprise a profound global effort that affects everyone on Earth.

This work needs all of us in order to succeed. But the issues often seem so large, complex, and overwhelming that ordinary people—and even many businesses, governments and civil society organizations—can find it difficult to imagine how they fit in and what they can do to help.

If we are to create a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world we must find new ways to help everyone, especially youth, relate to the work and values of the United Nations and inspire people to come together to take positive action in their own lives and communities.

Our mission is to connect people everywhere to the work and values of the United Nations and catalyze global effort towards achieving its goals.

Building a visionary global museum

UN Live is born from our deep commitment to the work and values of the UN and from our conviction that the fundamental human desire for culture, education, and empathy— brought together and amplified with a visionary global museum—can help reach and inspire a new generation of global citizens.

As a modern museum on three platforms, UN Live can bring together an almost limitless variety of content and experiences. We imagine UN Live as a center of learning and civic life—a multi-faceted global destination that attracts, educates, and inspires millions of people a year in every corner of the world by,

embracing a learning model that emphasizes experiential learning, collaboration, and play

focusing on increasing the creative and problem-solving capacity of communities around the world

viewing our audience as partners and collaborators — true stakeholders in the creation of the museum and its content and outcomes

In this way, we hope to create a vibrant and enduring institution, foster a new world of connected global citizens, and strengthen the bond between the UN and the people it was founded to serve.

The three platforms of UN Live

UN Live Online will be the museum’s global platform — a vibrant marketplace of ideas and inspiration that will foster engagement through dialogue, collaboration, and play. Innovation competitions, social media, and curated content will be woven together with real-world activities, games, and meet-ups to encourage people everywhere to work together on global challenges.

UN Live Network will be a worldwide consortium of local and global institutions including museums, cultural venues, educational institutions, government, civil society, and UN agencies.

Network partners will collaborate across the UN Live network to produce and disseminate content, create programs and exhibitions, and connect with people in their homes and communities.

UN Live Building will house the world-class museum and administrative headquarters for UN Live, but it will also be an unconventional creative space, gathering place, laboratory, and a civic classroom that invites the public to learn with their minds and their senses — not just as spectators, but as full participants in the life of the museum and the work of the UN.

Video: UN Live Content and Design Committee workshop at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, March 2015

Endorsements

“I deeply believe we must find new and creative ways of engaging citizens in the United Nations mission, promoting the core values of human dignity, respect for human rights and international solidarity. At a time when there are more than 60 million refugees, asylumseekers and internally displaced persons worldwide as a result of conflict and persecution, tolerance, respect for diversity and solidarity with those in need are the strongest tools we have to face the challenges ahead. The UN Live Museum is an important step forward in our efforts to educate and engage.”

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

Quote provided as High Commissioner for Refugees

“I am pleased to authorize the museum to use the name and acronym of the United Nations in the form, ‘Museum for the United Nations – UN Live’. I am confident that the museum, which you unveiled to the public on United Nations Day, will engage audiences worldwide about our Organization and what we are trying to do each day to build a better world for all.

The United Nations welcomes the support that your museum will provide to our communications efforts and looks forward to working closely with the museum to that end.”

Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

“The United Nations belongs to the people of the world. It is our collective tool for peace and progress for all, and it is our shared responsibility to put it to the best possible use. UN Live has the potential to offer a platform for all of us, particularly our youth, to connect with the United Nations and engage on the issues that matter to us. With UN Live, we can all engage and be part of the change we want to see.”

Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

“Let me just say it loud and clear: UN Live may be the most uniquely well thought through and well organized museum project I have ever encountered in my life as an international Museum Director. Doing things in the right order, building the project from inside out is essential – and UN Live is doing exactly this! So important! And so impressive!”

Lars Nittve, Former Managing Director of Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark and Moderna Museet in Sweden, and Founding Managing Director of Tate Modern in UK and M+ in Hong Kong.

“Our democracy model is under threat, because we have moved into a post-factual society, where evidence is given the same weight as lies that are amplified on social media. Citizens are dependent on transparency, facts and reliable resources for our democracy to work. UN Live strives to be a science and fact-based convener in this new paradigm and to foster conversations that can lead to positive change.”

Jimmy Maymann, Chair of UN Live Online, Former CEO of Huffington Post

“UN Live will engage a new generation of young people and encourage them not only to learn more about the vision and goals of the United Nations, but to see the UN’s mission of building a better world as their own – and inspire them to participate.”

Anthony Lake, Former Executive Director of UNICEF

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

Ilwad Elman

Director of Programs & Development,
Elman Peace HRC

Ilwad Elman is a leading expert in peacebuilding, who has pioneered a gender-focus in the field in Somalia.

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Africa
Director of Programs & Development,
Elman Peace HRC

Ilwad Elman

Somalia

Ilwad Elman is a leading expert in peacebuilding, who has pioneered a gender-focus in the field in Somalia. The drive to fight injustice runs strongly through in her veins. Elman’s father was a well-known Somalian peace activist, and after his death from a gunshot wound in 1996, she fled with her mother and sisters to Canada.

When her mother returned to Mogadishu over a decade later, she dedicated herself to continuing her husband’s work. Inspired by her parents’ resilience and courage , Elman too became involved in peace work, founding Somalia’s first rape crisis centre for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and developing programmes for the disarmament and rehabilitation of child soldiers.

Now, Elman herself has become an inspiration not only to the people of Somalia, but people around the world. In her roles as UN Advisor on Youth, Peace and Security, as UNICEF Global Board Member for Generation Now, and as an advocate for Kofi Annan Foundation’s Extremely Together initiative, she leads by example.

The Global Leadership Council is honoured to name Elman among its members, and will gain much from her experience and knowledge of peace activism.

Jesper Nygård

CEO,
Realdania

Jesper Nygård

WEOG

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WEOG
CEO,Realdania

Jesper Nygård

Denmark

Jesper Nygård is a forward-thinking philanthropic leader and the current CEO of Realdania. As a leading philanthropic association, Realdania’s work has the goal to increase life quality through urban development.

Acting on a project basis, Realdania is a flexible and fast investor, able to form partnerships large and small, as and when opportunities arise. As one of the first financial supporters of the Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, Nygård has demonstrated both his personal faith in the initiative, as well as the long-term commitment of Realdania to creating social change.

Nygård serves on the board of The Danish Architecture Centre and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, among others. His expertise in identifying synergetic partnerships will be critical on the Global Leadership Council, as it grows into its global ambitions.

Ricardo Piquet

President,
Museum of Tomorrow

Ricardo Piquet

LAC

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LAC
President,
Museum of Tomorrow

Ricardo Piquet

Brazil

Ricardo Piquet is a visionary museum director who consistently pushes the boundaries of what cultural institutions can be. Throughout his career, he has worked with the public, private and non-governmental sectors to develop and grow the cultural sector in Brazil.

He founded the Institute for Development and Management (IDG) in 2013, and formed the cultural management organisation around the values of joy, collaboration, creativity and respect. IDG’s major project, the Museum of Tomorrow, is a striking example of Piquet’s ability to execute beyond what was previously thought possible. A museum sitting at the intersection between science, art and technology, the Museum of Tomorrow has enjoyed incredible success since opening in late 2015.

Based on the twin principles of sustainability and co-existence, the museum has found a way to impress upon its 1 million annual visitors the urgency of climate change through both virtual and traditional exhibitions. Piquet’s experience in developing, building and opening a forward-thinking institution on this grand scale, will be of enormous value to the Global Leadership Council, as the Museum for the United Nations works towards opening its own doors.

Trisha Shetty

Founder,
SheSays

Trisha Shetty

Asia and the Pacific

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Asia and the Pacific
Founder,SheSays

Trisha Shetty

India

Trisha Shetty is a social activist and lawyer, known for her electric speeches and fearless advocacy for gender equality. She is founder of SheSays, a youth-led NGO that promotes civil society engagement among young people and that successfully lobbied for the elimination of taxes on menstrual hygiene products in India.

She aims to prove that when young people stand up for the policies they believe in, they can achieve structural change for good. In addition to leading SheSays, she has been recognised as a rousing civic leader by the Obama Foundation, Forbes’ Asia’s 20 Under 30 and One Young World.

Currently, Shetty is a UN Young Leader for the SDGs, chosen from among 18,000 nominations to engage young people in the realisation of the 17 goals. She says; “In order to address and mitigate the societal challenges we face globally, we need mechanisms in place for young people to be included in all stages and aspects of the solutions we propose; as well as account for gender-sensitive budgeting and policy.

This has been the fundamental guiding principle for all my work thus far.”The Global Leadership Council will be enriched by her fierce approach to youth engagement and feminist methods to solving the world’s greatest problems.

Contributors

To date, the UN Live concept has been developed through a collaborative effort by hundreds of people and organizations from around the world. The group of contributors represents diverse fields spanning from digital to art to social science to civil society organizations to UN agencies.

We are grateful for all the care, curiosity and excitement that people share and bring to the project. The group of content contributors include, but are not restricted to, the following:

Online Committee (2017-)

Jimmy Maymann (Chair), UN Live Online and former CEO of Huffington Post

The development of the UN Live initiative is made possible through the generous financial support and pro-bono work from the below foundations, companies and individual sponsors. UN Live is deeply thankful for their catalytical contributions.

Foundations

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Bikubenfonden

Det Obelske Familiefond

Nordeafonden

Rambøll Foundation

Realdania

Companies and Organizations

AKQA

Dalberg

Danida

Designit

Horten

Magnetix linked by Isobar

Nordic Development Corporation

NREP

PwC

Patrons

Alexander Aghassipour, CPO and Founder, Zendesk

Anders Eldrup, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners

Annemette Færch

Henrik Lind, Danske Commodities

Jeppe Laurids Hedaa, CEO, 7N

Mikkel Bülow-Lehnsby, Partner and Co-founder, NREP

Preben Damgaard, CEO, Damgaard Company A/S

Rasmus Nørgaard, Partner and Co-founder, NREP

Søren Vestergaard Poulsen, Managing Partner, CVC Capital Partners

Torben Wind, Entrepreneur

About us

The Association for a UN Live Museum has been established in Denmark to create the UN Live Museum.

Career

Photographs: Stock photo and Meredith Hutchinson/International Rescue Committee, 2015. The International Rescue Committees “Vision Not Victim Program” enables adolescent girls to envision a positive future for themselves, and by sharing their ambitions, create change in their lives and communities. Kofi Annan by Even Schneider